Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matera and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,484 in Matera, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Matera
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Matera Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,484

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matera and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Matera and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,484 per month in Matera vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Matera $1,484
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Matera vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Matera $2,356
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,227 per month in Matera vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Matera $3,227
Chiang Mai $1,979

Matera costs about 59% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Matera sits 9% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 €13.70

$2.24 ฿75.6

582.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 €54.4

$19.00 ฿641

219.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 €10.17

$5.55 ฿187

104.32%

Cappuccino

$1.88 €1.68

$1.67 ฿56.5

12.57%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.04

$0.64 ฿21.55

254.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.31 ฿10.31

251.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.14

$2.36 ฿79.6

143.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.66 ฿124

-9.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.95 ฿65.8

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.44 ฿48.48

19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$1.33 ฿45.04

146.62%

Eggs

$3.52 €3.16

$2.28 ฿77.1

54.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.39 €13.79

$16.45 ฿555

-6.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.28 €11.01

$2.78 ฿93.9

341.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 €18.68

$9.31 ฿314

123.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.36

$2.35 ฿79.4

11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$0.97 ฿32.80

122.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.60 ฿53.9

-29.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 €3.41

$1.50 ฿50.6

153.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.28 ฿43.12

39.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.10 ฿37.19

49.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.71 ฿23.82

105.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 €0.42

$0.49 ฿16.37

-4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.05

$4.14 ฿140

63.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 €5.68

$17.52 ฿591

-63.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.61 ฿54.5

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.79

$2.78 ฿94.0

11.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.54

$0.87 ฿29.31

97.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.20 €18.10

$54.1 ฿1,826

-62.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.97

$1.16 ฿39.06

281.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 €1.07

$0.53 ฿17.80

124.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 €21.28

$2.42 ฿81.8

880.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.45 ฿48.90

39.31%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.1K €31.5K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

66.78%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.3K €33.5K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

38.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$197 €177

$62.2 ฿2,098

217.63%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.37 €8.39

$12.17 ฿411

-23.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 €27.54

$20.12 ฿679

52.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.59

$37.31 ฿1,259

48.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.43 €20.99

$3.77 ฿127

521.49%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.90

$6.49 ฿219

53.16%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$448 €402

$736 ฿24.8K

-39.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 €7,096

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-46.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.2 €60.3

$53.4 ฿1,801

25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.87 €38.41

$24.64 ฿831

73.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.4

$91.5 ฿3,087

15.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$71.9 ฿2,428

87.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 €632

$482 ฿16.3K

46.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 €377

$309 ฿10.4K

36.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 €918

$1,006 ฿33.9K

1.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$841 €753

$633 ฿21.4K

32.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,772 €2,484

$2,363 ฿79.8K

17.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,179 €2,849

$1,589 ฿53.6K

100.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 €1,568

$590 ฿19.9K

196.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

5.57

-44.70%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Matera: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Matera

$421 28.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 26.6% $112

Groceries & Markets

Matera

$328 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matera

$238 16%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.2% $143

Eating Out

Matera

$228 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 65.9% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Matera

$158 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Matera

$75 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 33.1% $25

Getting Around

Matera

$37 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 63.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Matera versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Matera are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Matera versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Matera

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

6 h ahead of Matera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,607

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Matera Chiang Mai 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Matera
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Matera vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matera costs about 59% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,227 per month in Matera and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $705 in Matera.

Kindergarten costs $448 per month in Matera and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Matera, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,484 in Matera and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,484 in Matera. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Matera makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.